Nintendo to Open New R&D Facility

Recent layoff warnings and lowered earnings estimates have lead some to doubt the old belief that video games are recession-proof. Okay, how about this one then? Nintendo is recession-proof.

The Big N is getting even bigger. Nikkei reports today that the company has completed purchase on 40,000 square meters of land in its current home town of Kyoto. The purchase, made late last year, cost the company 12.8 billion yen (at current exchange rates, about $141 million).

Nintendo plans to build an R&D facility on the new land for game software and hardware development. The Nikkei report suggests that Nintendo is also looking into the possibility of improving efficiency by placing its R&D in one location. Currently, the company operates two main offices in Kyoto, its main office near the newly purchased land, and an older office that was its headquarters until the year 2000.